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Charge upgraded to murder in `Stippo' Rakes case

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A Sudbury man is now being charged with murder in the ice coffee-poisoning case of Whitey Bulger extortion victim Stephen "Stippo" Rakes.

The Middlesex District Attorney's Office announced this evening that charges against William Camuti, 69, were upgraded from attempted murder. He also faces charges of misleading police, and unlawful disposition of human remains, DA Marian Ryan said.

“The defendant lured the victim to a meeting at which they were to discuss a business deal. Instead the defendant used the meeting as an occasion to serve the victim a poisoned iced coffee,” said Ryan. “Based upon the ruling of the Medical Examiner we have now charged the defendant with murder. As the case moves forward, we intend to hold the defendant accountable for this premeditated murder.”

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled in October that the cause of Rakes’ death was acute cyanide toxicity and the manner of death was homicide.

The body of Rakes, 59, of Quincy – with no identification, keys or cell phone – was discovered at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 17 in a wooded area off Mill Street in Lincoln. Police say they have emails from Camuti showing interest in buying cyanide, receipts for the two iced coffees authorities said he bought at a McDonald's in Waltham and GPS data placing him at the scene where Rakes' body was found.

Rakes, 59, was a key figure in the feds' extortion case against Bulger, 84, who is alleged to have seized Rakes' newly opened Stippo's Liquor Mart in South Boston in 1984 so the Winter Hill Gang could use it as a front for their headquarters.

Rakes was hoping to take the stand in Bulger's trial, but prosecutors ultimately chose not to have him testify.

Camuti, famous in the late '80s and early '90s as a pitchman for his Loan Depot home-equity loan company, was convicted of mail fraud in 1994 as part of a mortgage-selling scheme.